Valhi (NYSE:VHI) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $2.72 EPS

Valhi (NYSE:VHI) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported ($1.86) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.86 by ($2.72), FiscalAI reports. The firm had revenue of $494.50 million during the quarter. Valhi had a net margin of 0.89% and a return on equity of 2.22%.

Valhi Stock Performance

Shares of VHI opened at $13.68 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $14.17 and a 200 day moving average price of $14.20. The company has a quick ratio of 1.76, a current ratio of 3.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of $387.14 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.38 and a beta of 1.19. Valhi has a 52-week low of $11.44 and a 52-week high of $20.00.

Valhi Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 31st. Investors of record on Monday, March 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 16th. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Valhi’s payout ratio is presently 50.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on VHI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Valhi in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valhi to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Sell rating, According to MarketBeat.com, Valhi has a consensus rating of “Sell” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Institutional Trading of Valhi

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VHI. Wells Fargo & Company MN grew its position in shares of Valhi by 46.1% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 2,722 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 859 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its stake in Valhi by 145.0% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 7,006 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 4,146 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers lifted its position in Valhi by 79.9% in the third quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 7,520 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $119,000 after acquiring an additional 3,341 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Valhi in the fourth quarter valued at $183,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Valhi by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 59,303 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 3.83% of the company’s stock.

About Valhi

Valhi, Inc is a diversified holding company incorporated in Delaware in 1987 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Through its three wholly owned subsidiaries—Kronos Worldwide, CompX International and NL Industries—Valhi participates in the manufacture and distribution of chemical and security products for industrial, commercial and consumer markets.

Kronos Worldwide is a leading independent producer of titanium dioxide pigment, a white powder that enhances brightness and opacity in paints, coatings, plastics, paper and other applications.